


Date at the Museum

by Luluw5



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff, M/M, Museum Date, Museum of Natural History, Not Canon Compliant, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21928561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luluw5/pseuds/Luluw5
Summary: Tadashi got stood up by a pretty girl, scoffed at by a stranger, and embarrassed in the Hall of Minerals. Not bad for a first date.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 123





	Date at the Museum

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the time I stood someone up for a museum date, but I wasn't as brave as Yachi. Oh well.

"I'm standing you up." Yachi bit her lip, waiting for Tadashi's response.

"I- you are?" This was confusing on several counts. Number one, things had seemed to be going pretty well. After meeting online, they had snapchatted for a couple of weeks before deciding to meet up. Number two, she had seemed pretty into him. Cute pictures, flirty emojis, _memes_ , the whole nine yards. And number three, she actually _showed up_ to meet him on the museum steps to tell him that she was standing him up.

"I'm really sorry," she said, wringing her hands together. She certainly looked ready for a date, Tadashi thought, if the sundress and matching clutch were any indication. "Someone I've been waiting for recently asked me out, and it would be unfair to you if we went on this date and then pursued a relationship and got attached to each other and- and, hoo-" Yachi passed for a breath. "Roll back. I don't want to lead you on, Yamaguchi. I'm interested in someone else. Please accept my apology." She bowed so urgently that Tadashi feared she would unbalance herself and topple over.

"Woah, be careful. It's ok, Yachi. Not a problem. I hope you two are very happy." She didn't seem convinced. He offered a weak smile, trying to hide his disappointment. "It's no big deal, ok? I hope we can still be friends."

That seemed to do it. The lines on Yachi's forehead smoothed out and she smiled brightly. "Of course! I'll text you tonight." Yachi took out her phone and blanched. "Oh no! I'm going to be late. Talk to you later, Yamaguchi!" She waved and ran off towards a line of yellow taxis at the curb.

Ah, so she'd even scheduled her date for the same time theirs was supposed to be. That was demoralizing. Tadashi sighed heavily as he watched her climb into a cab and drive off. Now what was he supposed to do with these museum passes?

"That was pathetic," a voice from behind him quipped. "Do you take all your rejections laying down?"

Tadashi turned to face the handsome stranger leaning up against the base of one of the museum's statues. Wonderful, a witness to his humiliation. Still, Tadashi didn't think he'd handled that poorly.

"She said she wasn't interested," Tadashi mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I wasn't going to force my feelings on her."

"So you did have feelings for her then?" The stranger asked cooly. Tadashi got the sense he was being appraised, though the stranger's eyes never left his face. He shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling his cheeks grow warm in the brisk fall air.

"I've only been talking for her for a little while. Neither of us were looking for something serious." They had talked about it, like lonely, mature adults did in the age of internet dating. But now Tadashi wondered if she wanted to keep things casual because of this mystery suitor. He hadn't even realized he'd had a rival until he lost. That was pretty pathetic actually. "Why do you care?"

The stranger shrugged. "I was bored. That was interesting. I don't care a great deal past that." He took a long draw of a nearly empty drink through a plastic straw. It gurgled as the cup gave up the last of it. Tadashi noticed a small, but growing pile of garbage next to the man. He must have been here for a bit, but he didn't look homeless. Puffy vest, converse sneakers, a pair of nice headphones slung around his neck. He must be the kind of guy who came to tourist traps just to watch them bumble around, or get pick pocketed or something. All that was missing was a pair of binoculars and a sign around his neck that said "antisocial weirdo."

"Well, are you waiting for someone?" Tadashi asked to test his theory.

"Nope." The stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of twizzlers. "Just people-watching." Nailed it.

Tadashi grinned. "Don't have anything better to do with your weekend?" 

"Something to do? In New York City? Never."

"Then would you like to visit the museum with me?" Tadashi held up his two museum passes. He had picked them up ahead of time, free with his family's membership.

"I would like to see the dinosaurs," the stranger said thoughtfully. "Are you so desperate for human contact that you'd invite a stranger off the street?"

"Only if the stranger is interested in something other than watching other people's lives go by."

"Touché. What's your name?"

"Yamaguchi Tadashi. You?"

"Tsukishima Kei."

"Can I call you Tsukki?" Tadashi offered a hand, but Tsukishima waved him off and stood on his own. He was much taller than his seated position had lead Tadashi to believe, but only a bit taller than him.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that so we can continue having a pleasant conversation." Tsukishima extended a hand and Tadashi dutifully gave him the pass. They hiked up to the museum's front entrance and stood in front of the enormous reconstructed dinosaur skeleton. It's neck must have reached fifty feet high, but it still came no where close to meeting the building's enormous domed ceiling. Tsukishima let out a low whistle. "Do you know how to get to the dinosaur exhibit?"

"Yep, but first we're going to the earth and space museum. It's my favorite." Tsukishima shrugged and followed Tadashi through the crowd to a hallway that was less peopled, but no less confusing. Tadashi was glad he had visited so many times with his father. He knew the layout like the back of his hand, while it seemed Tsukishima was as lost as a camel in a snowstorm. 

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Nope," Tsukishima said, looking past Tadashi at the model planets down the hall. "Is that-"

"It's this way." Tadashi tugged his wrist to the right, and they got on an elevator heading down. "So you've only sat on the steps?"

"I haven't been in the city long. My brother and I are staying with a friend of his," Tsukishima answered. He peered through the elevator's glass walls at the hall below, eyes scanning the spherical aquarium, the spinning table filled with red gas, and the dark doorway through which Tadashi knew would be a cool movie about black holes.

"Where are you from?"

"England."

"Really?"

"Nope." Tadashi frowned.

"You're kind of weird, you know?"

"Yes," Tsukishima said with a glint in his eye. Before Tadashi could get him to elaborate, the elevator doors opened and he walked out. Tadashi followed, pressing a hand to his stomach to quell the strange feeling that had bubbled up in him.

He half-jogged past the mars rover, down the ramp to catch up with Tsukishima's long strides.

"Huh." the blonde was looking straight up, noticing for the first time the enormous planetarium shaped like a moon looming over them. Model planets were strung up around it, thick cables running down to the ground. Tadashi walked up to one and read the plaque. _Europa, the smallest of six Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter_.

"What else is around here?" Tadashi hadn't even noticed Tsukishima walk up.

"Bored already?"

"No, the opposite actually."

Tadashi beamed. "Then let me show you around." He took them upstairs to the base of the enormous winding walkway that ended at the planetarium. They got to see how much they weighed on the moon and on Mars. Even though he was taller, Tsukishima weighed less than Tadashi. He rolled his eyes when Tadashi pointed this out. The went into the asteroid exhibit and stood over a projected image of earth, watching it get struck by meteors. They ran their hands over pieces of petrified wood when no one was looking, even though it probably wasn't against the rules. Maybe.

"Wanna go see the dinosaurs?" Tsukishima nodded affirmatively. Tadashi led them out of the earth and space museum and back into the main campus where the crowds were thicker. Luckily, they didn't have to go through the main hall. They sardined themselves into a nearby elevator alongside what must have been part of a school trip, and an elderly couple that smelled like rice wine. The dinosaurs were on the top floor and the lay out was a double-ended loop with a gift shop. They marveled at the reconstructed skeletons for what felt like an hour. There were talking displays that Tadashi liked to listen to, and short videos showing how the dinosaurs may have moved and hunted. The section with the big screen that usually showed a movie on evolution was closed, to Tadashi's disappointment. But Tsukishima didn't seem to mind. He wandered around the exhibit with this faint smile on his face that lit a happy glow in Tadashi's belly.

They stopped at the gift shop, and spent some time looking at the magnetic rock table. Tadashi took two and held them on either side of one of Tsukishima's ears where they stayed like a horribly gaudy earring. Tsukishima scowled and flipped him off, but that only made Tadashi laugh. He had hoped the afternoon would go like this, though admittedly he'd hoped it would be Yachi that he got to show around one of his favorite places in the city. Still, coming here with Tsukishima had been unexpectedly fun. Sometimes, things just work out.

Tadashi went after Tsukishima, and found him by the shelves of stuffed animals, looking pitifully enamored with a plush stegosaurus. 

"Want me to buy it for you?" Tadashi asked gently. Still, Tsukishima started, glasses slipping partway down his nose, and quickly turned away. 

"I can get it myself," he said, flipping the tag over to see the price. His face froze for a moment and he quickly put the toy down. "Actually, it's not even that cute." He grumbled, stalking away to the exit. Tadashi quickly glanced at the price tag. _Fourteen dollars, huh? Expensive for a toy, but...._ Maybe it wasn't just an interest in people that had kept Tsukishima on the museum's steps. The entrance fee wasn't pricey for most, but if Tadashi was right, Tsukishima probably had a reason to watch his spending.

Mouth set determinedly, Tadashi took the plushie up to the cash register. He exited the shop minutes later with an opaque plastic bag by his side. Tsukishima sat on a stone bench just outside the exit, headphones on. He looked up when Tadashi approached and pushed them down around his neck.

"What did you buy?"

"Just something for my mom. C'mon, there's more to see." Tsukishima pushed himself off the bench and followed, taking only a moment to match Tadashi's hurried pace. If he was Tsukishima's ticket to a good time, Tadashi was going to make sure they both got the most out of it. 

They visited the cross-section of the giant red wood first. "I just thought you'd like to see something taller than you," Tadashi joked.

"We were just looking at dinosaurs, Yamaguchi." His tone sounded judgmental, but Tadashi thought he saw a hint of a smile there. "Next time you try to take a jab at me, try not to embarrass yourself in the process." Or maybe not.

Past that, Yamaguchi lead the way through the rainforest exhibit where he eagerly opened the door to what could well be one of the coolest sights of Tsukishima's life. He stepped inside and stopped. Tadashi sidled up beside him. Absolute awe spelled itself across Tsukishima's face as he looked on the enormous blue whale. The hall of ocean life was dimly lit by a ceiling of blue lights, giving the impression of being deep underwater. Suspended from the ceiling was a life-sized model of a blue whale swimming over the heads of dozens of museum goers spread out on the floor below. They both stood at the top of the stairs for a couple of minutes. Tsukishima's eyes left the whale and scanned the walls where habitats of colorful fish and other sea creatures could be perused. Smaller models of sea creatures were mounted on the balcony walls behind them and across the room. Tadashi was contemplating a branching display of marine evolution when Tsukishima spoke up beside him.

"Thank you for taking me here, Yamaguchi." Tadashi looked at him. Tsukishima had a peaceful expression on his face, and when he met Tadashi's gaze, the corner of his mouth lifted into a small but genuine smile. 

"Sure." Tadashi shrugged. "Thank you for rescuing my date plans. I still would have come in, but it's more fun with someone else."

"Don't tell me I'm your type, Yamaguchi. Do you have a thing for blonds?"

"What- No! I mean, there's nothing wrong with blonds, I don't really care about hair color it's a personality thing? Please don't get the wrong idea I didn't mean that _this_ was a date this is just what I would've wanted to do on a date...that's not better...I'm sor-" Tadashi cut his apology off short once he noticed Tsukishima's mean-spirited smirk. "You're messing with me."

"You make it too easy. Every time you get embarrassed you turn this cute shade of pink. I want to see if I can break double digits before you get tired of me."

Tadashi felt the heat of that tell-tale blush creep over him, and he tried to hide it behind his hand, faking a cough. He was unsuccessful, if Tsukishima's snickering was anything to go by. "W-whatever. Come on, there's more stuff to do." If Tsukishima was going to keep teasing him, then he would find somewhere dark so at least he didn't get the satisfaction of seeing Tadashi blush. "Ungrateful jerk..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Try to keep up!" Tadashi strode off, trying to outrun the butterflies that kept swooping into his stomach. 

They trekked across the entire museum to the hall of human origins. This wasn't one of Tadashi's favorite exhibits, but someone who liked looking at people as Tsukishima claimed to would find it very interesting. It was full of information about humanity's ancestors, reconstructions of the different forms they took over the years and videos of anthropologists speculating about what life had been like on prehistoric earth. Tadashi placed his hand over a casting of a _homo erectus_ handprint. His fingers stretched far past the impression. Tsukishima's hand was suddenly beside his.

"I want to see." Tadashi stepped back to let Tsukishima compare. "Huh. Hard to believe we looked like that once," He remarked, looking up from the print at the hairy models that greeted visitors at the entrance. 

Tadashi shrugged. "Looking at you, I can see the resemblance." That earned him a cold glare, but strangely Tadashi didn't feel apologetic. Not one bit.

"You've seen all this before, haven't you?" Tsukishima remarked on the casual stance Tadashi took that looked bored in comparison to the wide-eyed tourists around them.

"Yeah. My dad used to take me here on weekends. We'd come as the door opens, so we were always the first ones here. I've seen pretty much everything in this place." Tadashi said proudly.

"Oh?" Tsukishima looked interested. "How did you manage that?"

"Well, my family used to live pretty close. And my dad and I would leave the house early so my mom could sleep in and not worry about making breakfast." Tadashi had loved their routine. Breakfast at the local bakery, and then adventures in the park or the museum well into the morning. Those were some of his favorite childhood memories. "We always had a lot of fun here. And the security guards aren't super vigilant when the place is empty, so we got away with some pretty fun stuff."

Tsukishima lifted a doubtful eyebrow. "Like what?"

Tadashi grinned. "I'll show you." They walked straight through the hall of human origins towards the hall of minerals. Other than the earth and space museum, this was Tadashi's favorite hall. He remembered stampeding around the carpeted floors with no one to judge him or tell him to stop, like his own personal playground. They would always wind down in front of the gold video, secreting themselves away in the exhibit's darkest corner as tourists began trickling in. But now, he had the chance to introduce it to someone new. Tadashi almost bounced with excitement, but caught himself. He was riding some strange adrenaline high for some reason. His heart was beating much faster than normal. He should try and calm down.

"This is the hall of minerals. Fool's gold is on the left, quartz on the right, azurite...well, almost everywhere. You'll see." Tadashi spread his arms wide, welcoming Tsukishima to what seemed like a whole new world, especially compared to the last exhibit they had passed through. Every surface that wasn't a display was covered in a green felt-like carpeting that muffled footfalls and conversations. To their right a ramp curved up into a tunnel lined with enormous chunks of quartz and amethyst, leading up to another level. They could see over a not-too-tall wall that the exhibit was broken up into sections, and several towering display cases hinted at what lay beyond those walls. To their left was an expansive display of multicolored gems and bits of sparkling metal that stretched past and around one of the walls, to the far end of the exhibit.

"I don't even know where to begin," Tsukishima muttered.

"Here," Tadashi said, pulling on his shirt sleeve, "I'll show you." 

He tugged Tsukishima straight forward, letting go of his sleeve so he could reach up to the top of the wall. He handed Tsukishima the bag from the gift shop. "Are the guards looking?" Tsukishima shot a glance over his shoulder, then shook his head no.

"Great, try to keep up, yeah?" And in one fluid motion he hoisted himself over and dropped down on the other side of the wall, startling a group of girls looking at the 4-ton piece of malachite in the center of this section. He shot them an apologetic smile and stepped back to give Tsukishima room to come over as well. He waited a second, then another, and when it became clear Tsukishima wasn't following him, Tadashi felt disappointment heavy in his gut. Maybe he had finally gotten tired of Tadashi, and just left without a goodbye. He probably shouldn't be sad about it, after all they barely knew each other, and probably Tsukishima had been waiting for a good time to leave this whole time. He was probably just too polite since Tadashi had brought him in, and had been waiting for the right time to leave without making it awkward. He probably hadn't wanted to come in at all. Tadashi was probably so pitiful, that he couldn't bring himself to say no after watching Yachi dump him. He probably-

"That was incredibly stupid. Are you a monkey? Or a child? You could have gotten us kicked out with that stunt." Tsukishima rounded the corner and stalked over to Tadashi, having opted out of the acrobatics and taken the pedestrian route to get to him. 

"You didn't leave." Tadashi blinked as Tsukishima offered him the bag, held aloft by two slender fingers as though using his entire hand to hold it was too much trouble.

"No? Why would I?" Tsukishima was taken aback by the wide smile that suddenly appeared on Tadashi's face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm great," Tadashi said honestly. "And don't be a worry-wart, Tsukishima. You said so yourself, the guards weren't even looking."

"Be that as it may, I am still not vaulting myself over a museum display for kicks. Pointless exercise isn't my idea of a good time."

"What is?"

Tsukishima looked thoughtful. His eyes traveled around the room, from display case to display case, finally coming to rest on Tadashi's face. "This has been pretty decent. I wouldn't mind doing something like this again."

"I'd love that," Tadashi admitted before he could stop himself. That same mean smile from before crept onto Tsukishima's face, confirming that Tadashi must have been blushing like an idiot again.

"Someone sure is eager."

"Shut up, Tsukishima. Wanna go watch the gold video?"

"Sure," Tsukishima said, seeming mildly interested. "Is it about mining or something?"

"No, more about what you can do with it. Like make jewelry and gold leaf and stuff."

"Sounds like you've already seen it," Tsukishima huffed as they made their way up the not-too-steep stairs to the exhibits upper level.

"Yeah, a bunch. But it's pretty interesting, and it's never very crowded."

"Whatever you say, Yamaguchi." They walked past the collection of star sapphires into the viewing room. As Tadashi had predicted, it was empty, and very dark. Tadashi felt himself relax a bit with the anonymity darkness lent them. He definitely would not be caught pink-faced in here.

"Let's sit back here," Tsukishima decided, plopping down into one of the seats built into the back wall. Tadashi sat down beside him and tried not to think about how there wasn't quite enough room for them to sit without their legs pressing together. He fidgeted with the plastic bag to distract himself, only stopping after Tsukishima gave him an annoyed look that needed no interpretation. _Relax, relax_ , Tadashi told himself. _Breathe_. In and out, Tadashi took several calming breaths and felt his heart slow down. Tsukishima was very warm, he noted, and the room was dark even with the movie going. He felt his eyes getting heavier, and without having any say in it at all, Tadashi fell into a brief, but restful sleep.

He awoke sometime later with his cheek pressed against a bony shoulder. He quickly lifted his head and wiped his face in case he had done something embarrassing, like drooling on his handsome not-date. "Sleep well?" Tsukishima asked.

"Sorry about that-" Tadashi rubbed his eyes. "-I didn't realize I was tired." 

"Well, you've been running around quite a bit," Tsukishima mused. "We all have our limits."

"Yeah." Then a beat. "How long?"

"I've seen this thing about two and a half times now. You were right, it is pretty interesting."

Tadashi groaned aloud, earning disgruntled shushes from other people who he didn't realize were in the room. "I'm really sorry." Tsukishima shrugged.

"If I'm that boring to take out, you should have just said so, Yamaguchi. I wouldn't have been offended."

Tadashi chuckled, relieved. "Well, this might be a hint that we should get going. Huh, it's been hours hasn't it?"

"Yup." Tsukishima took the hand Tadashi offered him and stood up. "But they've been well-spent."

"That was almost kind, Tsukishima. Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm not about to swoon like _some_ people. I have a hardy disposition."

"And my grandmother was a Neanderthal."

"I do believe I saw your photo on that tree out there."

Tadashi shook his head and lead them out the long way, pausing to show Tsukishima the polished slab of petrified wood that he used to use as a slide. One of the museum's side entrances was just past the hall of human origins, next to a small, overpriced lunch place that they both decided not to eat at. 

"Well," Tadashi said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Yes, that's usually how excursions end," Tsukishima hummed. "I'm going to give you my phone number, if you don't mind."

"You're going to give- Yeah sure that's fine." More than fine, Tadashi thought as he fished his phone out of his jacket pocket. He really would like to see Tsukishima again, maybe take him to the zoo or Chelsea piers. He imagined watching Tsukishima try to ice skate would be like watching a giraffe, or maybe a long-legged dinosaur-

"Crap!" Tadashi exclaimed, looking about for something he knew wasn't going to be there. Tsukishima looked up from his dinky little flip-phone with a frown.

"What are you being loud about?"

"I left my bag somewhere. Wait here, please!" Tadashi hurried away before Tsukishima could answer. He could only hope that it hadn't been picked up by someone else, and that Tsukishima would hang around long enough for Tadashi to find it. He practically flew through the hall of human origins, nearly knocking over a couple posing for a picture in the same position as the _homo erectus_ models. He heard a yelp before the sound of a camera going off. He called out an apology over his shoulder, but it was unlikely that they heard him. He had to slow down once he got back to the mineral hall. There were more guards here, and Tadashi didn't want to get chewed out or held up for too long. He didn't think Tsukishima was the patient type. The gold movie room was still dark, but Tadashi was able to make out the shape of his gift bag by the seat he and Tsukishima had been in. He scooped it up, giving himself a mental pat on the back, and imagined some up-beat, victorious music was playing as he hustled back to the side entrance. He arrived, flushed and out of breath, and looked around for the tall blond, but Tsukishima was nowhere to be found. His phone buzzed with a notification.

From: Unknown

_Sry. I dipped. Brother called. Needed me back._

_Let's do this again?_ _< dinosaur emoji>_

Tadashi groaned with frustration, but that feeling was tempered with delight. Tsukishima wanted to see him again. Tadashi bit his lip and shot a quick text back.

To: Tsukki 🐋

_Yes! I already have sum ideas. Lmk when you're free._

From: Tsukki 🐋

_K._

He could give Tsukishima his present next time, start it off like a proper date. He didn't know how long Tsukishima was going to be in the city, or even where he would be going home to. But he would make whatever time they had count. His fatigue slipped away as Tadashi began walking home, already planning their next adventure together. 


End file.
